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PCL Injuries

What is a PCL injury?

PCL stands for posterior cruciate ligament, one of four main ligaments that keep the knee stable. To understand PCL injury, it helps to know a little about how the knee works.

The knee is a large joint where the shinbone (tibia) meets the thighbone (femur). Two ligaments run along either side of the knee.

The medial collateral ligament (MCL) is on the inside and keeps the knee from bending in. The lateral collateral ligament (LCL) is on the outside and keeps the knee from bending out.

Two other ligaments — the PCL and the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) — cross each other in the middle of the knee. They work together to keep the shinbone attached to the thighbone.

The PCL connects the back part of the shinbone to the front part of the thighbone so that the shinbone does not slide behind the thighbone.

When the knee is forced into an unusual position, the PCL and other ligaments can tear, partially or all the way. In children, PCL injuries most often happen during high-speed sports, such as basketball and soccer.

A blow to the front of the knee — for example, from hitting the dashboard during an automobile accident or falling hard on a bent knee during a football game — can also injure the PCL.

How do you evaluate PCL injuries?

If your child’s knee suddenly swells after an accident or injury, he may have a torn PCL or another serious knee problem.

To help protect your child from more injuries that could hurt his growing bones and joints, it is important to get a thorough evaluation and proper treatment.

When you and your child come to our clinic, we will ask what happened before your child’s knee began to swell and hurt. Next, we will examine your child’s knee. To doctors trained in sports medicine, knees with PCL tears often feel loose.

We cannot be sure that your child has a torn PCL until the swelling in his knee has gone down, which usually takes seven to 10 days. We will likely take radiographs of your child’s knee to help us find out what is wrong.

If it is not clear that the PCL is torn or if we think your child may have other injuries, we may ask your child to have an MRI.

Who gets PCL injuries?

Teenage athletes who participate in high-speed sports are more likely to injure their PCL than other young people. Accidents also cause PCL injuries in teenagers.

Teenagers are more likely to injure their PCL than children who are younger than age 12. Younger children more often break the bone where the PCL attaches.

What is your experience with PCL injuries?

At Children’s Hospital, we are experts at treating growing athletes. We have a team of doctors, physician assistants and physical therapists that treats these injuries.

Our rehabilitation program includes regular physical therapy designed so that your child will recover range of motion, rebuild strength and stability, restore balance and regain confidence in using his knee.

We have a sports lab on site to help our patients with rehabilitation.

How do you treat PCL injuries?

We treat mild PCL injuries through physical therapy whenever possible. Most children with a PCL injury who have no other injury to their knee recover well after taking part in a rehabilitation program.

Surgery is not commonly performed to treat these isolated PCL injuries. At Children’s, our rehabilitation specialists provide regular physical therapy designed for your child.